How to Level a Travel Trailer On a Permanent Site

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The facility to establish a permanent home base in an RV campground is the latest trend in camping. While this undoubtedly attracts the campers, they have to worry about setting up a travel trailer permanently on the level ground. Hence, knowing how to level a travel trailer on a permanent site becomes essential for them.

Reasons for Leveling a Travel Trailer

If you are still in doubt whether to level the motorhome on a permanent site, here are the reasons.

Peaceful Sleep at Night: Keeping the RV in an uneven field means sleeping uncomfortably on a slanted bed. Only a level bed will allow campers to sleep comfortably inside the motorhome.

Convenient Cooking: Anyone who loves to cook inside their travel trailer would know the importance of parking on a flat surface. Only a level cooking surface will ensure evenly-cooked food. On an uneven surface, campers will not have to face such inconveniences.

leveling a travel trailer
Cooking or doing anything else would be impossible without the RV being leveled.

Proper Functioning of the Refrigerator: Those who have a refrigerator in the trailer should have their RV set on a level ground. If it is not level, there will be clogging in the coolant lines that will need expensive repairs.

Avoiding Vertigo: Walking inside a tilted travel trailer is not something people want to experience. Many campers complain about feeling dizzy in an uneven RV. So, to avoid any such physical problems, you should level the trailer.

How to Level a Travel Trailer On a Permanent Site

Some RV parks have paved parking slots. Unless someone is lucky enough to park the RV there, one has to level the campground for parking the motorhome. Any camping enthusiast would know that it is impossible to find level ground for the RV. To know how to level a travel trailer on a permanent site, go through these following steps:

Select the Site and Prepare It

The first and foremost step of how to level a travel trailer is to choose a permanent site. Use common sense to locate the area that does not have any significant slope. After that, remove all types of potential obstacles. If you are in a rustic campsite, clean all branches and sticks.

Check the Level of the Travel Trailer

Many times the motorhome itself is not perfectly level either. For this reason, check the level carefully to choose the parking orientation (nose-in or nose-out).

Put Leveling Blocks Near the Tires of the Travel Trailer

The RV leveling blocks look like Lego and available in most of the retail hardware stores. These blocks are sturdy by nature. After assembling, turn them into a mini-sized ramp that provides supports for all the tires. So, you need to place these ramps in front of the tires on the side that requires adjustment.

When you are planning to park the travel trailer camper at any place for a single summer, improvise by using some pressure-treated lumber.

Wood is susceptible to water absorption, splitting, and rot in the long run, which will ultimately alter the level of the motorhome, it will be tough to handle on the road.

Move the RV onto the Leveling Blocks

At this point, you will need help from one or two people who have sharp eyes to identify the leveling issues.

It is also the time they have to put in charge the best wheelman. All these people who will guide the campers should be familiar with hand signals and be conscious of the trailer mirrors.

Now, slowly back up and try not to overcorrect. The target should be to place the tires right within the width of the leveling blocks. If there is a misplacement by even a little bit, try again to readjust.

Remember that a protruding tire tread can damage the tire if it lasts for a few months. Even if it survives the whole summer at the family campsite, it may blow up while you are driving back home on a heavy-traffic road. That is why, you need to know how to level a travel trailer on a permanent site without making a mistake.

Place Wheel Chocks around the Tires

Wheel chocks are mandatory to keep the RV in the right place. A quality pair of wheel chocks should be available at most hardware stores. If you choose to park at a seasonal site or go to a base camp for seasonal trips, settling down with wood would be a good choice.

Or, someone may want to opt for professionally manufactured chocks. If campers are planning to leave the RV frequently or safety is a concern for them, investing in locking chocks or locking the chocks in place is a good idea.

You should ensure the firmly snugged chock toward the unlevel side of the equation. However, experts recommend choking both sides of a tire.

Lower the Tongue Jack

Place a couple of 2 by 10 inches of planks to provide a solid footing for the jack. Lower the jack and put its foot in the exact center of the wood planks. If you want to use some material that is long-lasting and lighter, choose a wheel dock. You will find these in RV specialty shops and big retail stores.

how to level a travel trailer
Leveling the RV

Install Stabilizing Jacks

Using stabilizing jacks at all corners of the RV is a common method for many campers who park their travel trailer permanently or occasionally. While some motorhomes come with these, some manufacturers provide them as extras. Those who do not have them should consider buying them.

These are useful tools that prevent travel trailers from rocking side to side. After the installation, there will be less squealing when you move. At the same time, these jacks will share the long-term load of the tongue jack.

Conclusion

Living in an RV that is uneven will induce various discomforts like nausea and vertigo. The chassis of such trailers will also face damage. Hence, to ensure the good health of the RV, you need to know how to level a travel trailer on a permanent site. By following the steps, they can ensure even placement of the motorhome.

About Chris Coleman

Chris Coleman is an interesting travel blogger and outdoor photographer with a great sense of humor. He owns an RV Accessories shop in New York City so he has the knowledge necessary to provide thorough reviews and give advice on how to choose the right products for RV travel. He puts all that RV knowledge and experience to good use in his sharing posts. Besides product buying guides/reviews, Chris also writes informative articles, how-to articles and RV camping guides in his own interesting viewpoint. Chris’s blog is one of the most reliable information sources for RV campers no matter if you're an expert or a determined beginner.

1 thought on “How to Level a Travel Trailer On a Permanent Site”

  1. How to Level a Travel Trailer on a Permanent Site: start the leveling process by clearing any debris or stationary objects including large rocks, logs,… Place your RV level on the travel trailer’s doorway, noting the position of the bubble relative to the two vertical bars of the level. Place the leveling blocks in front of your tire that you want to lift, drive your trailer to move the trailer onto the leveling blocks, secure the wheels with wheel spacers. Place several 10 x 2 inch pieces of wood on the ground where you will lower the tip of the trailer blade.

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